Oceanic archipelagos of volcanic origin have been important in the study of evolution because they provide repeated natural experiments allowing rigorous tests of evolutionary hypotheses. Ongoing volcanism on these islands may, however, affect the evolutionary diversification of species. Analysis of population structure and phylogeographic patterns in island populations can provide insight into...

Evolution of three Canary Island Vespertilionid bat species, Pipistrellus kuhlii, Pipistrellus maderensis, and Hypsugo savii was studied by comparison of approximately 1 kbp of mtDNA (from cytochrome b and 16S rRNA genes) between islands. mtDNA reveals that both P. kuhlii and P. maderensis exist in sympatry on Tenerife (and possibly other islands). Their morphological similarity explains why th...

The banana weevil (BW), Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most important insect pests of bananas and plantains. The mobility and the origin of BW infestations at the Canary Islands (Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma) have been analysed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) as molecular markers. Populations from Costa Rica, Colombia, Uganda and Madeira were ...

Observational results from several experiments like COBE, SP, Saskatoon, PYTHON, ARGO, MAX, MSAM, Tenerife and CAT are considered and a comparison is made with predictions from several models. Conclusions are reached about the viability of current structure formation models.

Geological history of oceanic islands can have a profound effect on the evolutionary history of insular flora, especially in complex islands such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Tenerife results from the secondary connection of three paleo-islands by a central volcano, and other geological events that further shaped it. This geological history has been shown to influence the phylogenetic his...

The large amount of olive cultivars conserved in germplasm banks can be used to overcome some the challenges faced by growing industry, including climate warming. One effect warming is difficulty fulfill chilling requirements for flowering due mild winter temperatures. In present work, we evaluate seven their adaptation high temperatures comparing phenology standard Mediterranean Cordoba, South...

Universitá di Teramo, viale F. Crucioli I-64100, Teramo, Italy Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias, Calle Via Lactea, E38205, La Laguna (Tenerife), Spain Max Planck Institut für Astrophysik, Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 1, Garching, D-85741

The genus Tarphius Erichson (Coleoptera: Colydiidae) is represented by 29 species on the Canary Islands. The majority are rare, single-island endemics intimately associated with the monteverde (laurel forest and fayal-brezal). The Tarphius canariensis complex is by far the most abundant and geographically wide-spread, occurring on Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma. Eighty-seven individuals fr...